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Born in the Chicago area, she lost all hearing in her right ear and 80% of the hearing in her left ear at the age of eighteen months.
She was discovered by Henry Winkler during one of her ICODA theater performances which ultimately led to her film debut in 1986 in Children of a Lesser God -- her performance brought her an Academy Award for Best Actress. She is one of the few actors to win an Oscar for their debut performance. She still holds the record for youngest winner in the Best Actress Oscar category. Matlin was nominated for a Golden Globe award for her work as the lead female role in the television series Reasonable Doubts (1991–1993) and was nominated for an Emmy Award for a guest appearance in Picket Fences.
Matlin later had recurring roles in The West Wing, and Blue's Clues. Other television appearances include Seinfeld ("The Lip Reader"), The Outer Limits ("The Message"), ER, Desperate Housewives, CSI: NY and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. She was nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards for her guest appearances in Seinfield, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and The Practice.
In 2006, Matlin was honored at AOL's Second Annual Chief Everything Officer Awards. She was the special guest host for an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition featuring a deaf boy with a blind father, grandmother and sisters.
She is the author of Deaf Child Crossing, which was loosely based on her own childhood. She wrote and published a sequel to Deaf Child Crossing, titled Nobody's Perfect, which was produced on stage at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in partnership with VSA arts.
Matlee continues to be a sought-after actor, writer, and producer. Her speaking programs have thrilled audiences as she gives an up-close look at her life often speaking about living within a culture of deafness.
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